Forgotten Soul
by Lacri Osa
Summary: AU -Rewrite of Zurui- One small task can save lives. One missed detail can destroy a world. In a place where he is considered a monster, can Naruto be reunited with his mother and find the hidden truth to Itachi before the time is up? Major OoCness
1. Prologue

Well, here is the rewrite of _Zurui_! I hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer**: Let's see...In the manga Sasuke is about to kill Itachi. Do I want Itachi to die? Nope. Do I have any control over this? Nope. Guess I don't own Naruto!

* * *

Namikaze Uzumaki Kushina had just given birth to a son. A son who she had named Naruto. Holding him in her arms, she smiled. After the months of waiting, he was finally born. "We will expect great things from you, little one," she spoke, her voice delicate. She was once the last Uzumaki and now she had her son. Her blood had her make a prophecy, those first words she spoke to him, although she did not know it.

At the sound of footsteps nearing the room, she raised her head, her auburn hair swaying from the invisible breeze. She was ready to protect her son, even if it would cause her death. However, as the door opened, she lowered her guard, knowing who had just come in would not harm her in any way and would not harm her son, no, _their_ son. For the man who had just entered the room was her husband and the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha, Namikaze Minato.

However, as she looked into his eyes, she saw worry and she feared what was about to come.

"What is wrong, Minato?" she asked, worry coming to her eyes. Naruto, despite being just a baby, felt her worry and started to cry. Kushina held him steady in her arms, putting him to sleep as she waited for her husband to answer.

"The Kyuubi no Kitsune is approaching the village," Minato answered after a few seconds. His answer was straight to the point and he hoped Kushina understood.

And she did. She had learned about the nine great bijuu when she was younger, when she was still a member of that village. Yet here she sat as the memories came back to her, memories of her childhood, memories of her parents, her siblings. So many memories.

"What are you going to do?"

"The only thing I can think to do is to seal him into a newborn child. And the only newborn child I can think of is Naruto," he replied sadly, gazing at the sleeping baby in her arms.

"And the cost of this sealing?" Kushina asked, her grip on Naruto's body increasing, refusing to let go of him.

"The Shinigami takes my soul."

"Shinigami!? No, you're going to use that seal! I won't allow it!" Kushina yelled, forgetting the fact that they were currently in a hospital.

"Gomen nasai, koi, but it is the only thing I can think of. It's this or the destruction of the village. And as the Hokage, I can't stand by and watch the Kyuubi destroy the village I love," Minato explained. He refused to look into Kushina's eyes, though, knowing that those eyes filled with pain and grief could stop him from the plan.

"Fine! Go kill yourself! But I won't let you use Naruto! The villagers will want him dead after the sealing! They'll think that he **is** the Kyuubi!" Kushina cried, her tears falling onto Naruto's face, waking him up. His bright cerulean eyes looked at his mother and they turned silver as he looked at her. He then turned his face to his father; his eyes remaining silver, before he closed them and fell asleep once more.

Both Minato and Kushina stared at their son before a grim smile appeared on Kushina's face. "The eyes of the shadow. Said to appear on those destined to change the world. The Kagegan. His destiny must have already been set into place. The Kyuubi no Kitsune must be sealed into him. Despite how I feel about this, it must be done."

"The Kagegan. You have spoken about this with me before. You knew that he would have it, didn't you?" Minato's voice held amazement at the prospect.

"My own kekkei genkai showed this to me," Kushina admitted.

The two did not notice that two others were in the room. Jiraiya of the Sannin, Minato's sensei, and the Sandaime were standing by the doorway.

Kushina looked over to where they stood, Minato following her gaze. "How long have you two been there?" the duo asked together.

"We were here since you asked about the cost of the sealing," Jiraiya answered. "What's his name?"

"Naruto," Minato answered. "Just as we said we would name him."

Jiraiya nodded. "The Kyuubi is at the gates of the village. At the moment, the ANBU are attempting to hold him back. I will go and help. Don't do anything you will regret, Minato." With that, he disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves.

"Sandaime-sama, please watch over Kushina. I will return momentarily." Minato gently kissed Kushina on her lips and walked out of the room.

"He's about to do something very dangerous," Kushina stated, laying Naruto beside her.

"We can't stop him. He loves this village too much. He would give his life for it," the Sandaime said.

"My question is why Kyuubi-sama is here," Kushina replied.

"Kyuubi-sama?" the Sandaime replied with a questioning gaze.

"It is a story for another time. As is the reasons why I am so against this sealing. However, it has been destined that this must happen, so I must follow the laws of the seer."

The Sandaime chuckled. "I guess in the end, it all ends with your kekkei genkai."

Kushina sighed. "Unfortunately."

"If you could tell me, what is the Kagegan?"

"That, too, is a story for another day."

"If we live another day," the Sandaime muttered.

Kushina, however, heard the unwanted thought. "Unfortunately, we will, at the cost of Minato's life. Anyway, haven't the civilians been evacuated?"

"Since we found out that the Kyuubi was approaching yesterday. He didn't appear until you went into labor, though."

"Of course he didn't. Kyuubi-sama will only appear when the time is right, although I can't believe that he is attacking the village."

"Another story for another day?"

Kushina smiled gently and answered, "Exactly."

Kushina fell back upon the bed, taking hold of Naruto once more. "Isn't he the most delightful thing?"

"I haven't seen him awake yet, so I cannot say," the Sandaime answered, wording his answer carefully, knowing that Kushina would kill him if he said one bad thing about her son.

Holding Naruto in her arms, she sighed. "He is destined to be great. I can feel it. But what will he do? Will he destroy life or save life? Will he be harsh or kind?"

"Do any of those things matter to you, koi?" Minato asked, walking into the room. In his hands he held a scroll which he handed over to the Sandaime. "You will still love him regardless of his decisions."

"That I will. Am I to assume that it is time?"

"It is, unfortunately," Minato replied, his voice soft. Turning to the Sandaime he spoke. "I have sealed a number of items into that scroll. One is a letter for you. Read that letter after the sealing. It will explain everything."

The Sandaime nodded and left the room. Minato turned back to his wife who held out Naruto to him. "As much as I hate doing this, my blood is making me. Please forgive me little one." With a final kiss on his forehead, she placed her son in her husband's arm and laid back onto the bed. "I shall stay here. Please let Jiraiya bring him back to me after the sealing."

Minato nodded, knowing that would be the final wish of his wife that he would be able to grant. Kissing her once more on the lips, he left the room, hoping for the best.

* * *

AN: Well, this is the prologue. It's relatively short, but I needed this to happen without revealing too much information. I plan to update every two weeks. Whether I stick to that plan, I don't know, but I hope I do. I also hope that I can stick to my plan of having chapters that have at least 2500 words.

I'm looking for a beta! One who can annoy me to update, can check my work, and can annoy me to update!

Constructive critism is very helpful! I want to know what you like and don't like!

Now that you have read, please review!


	2. An Empty Birthday

Kage: Well, as promised, two weeks later, here's chapter one! It's 200 words less than the promised amount, though...

**Disclaimer**: I don't speak Japanese. Can't see how I can write a manga...

* * *

The Sandaime quickly walked through the hospital, worry etched on his face. Today was October 10th so he had expected an attack, but not so early in the day. It was still night, dawn still hours away. He was lucky that the ANBU were watching the apartment or else Uzumaki Naruto would have died.

Sarutobi cringed at that thought. The boy had been attacked exactly at midnight by two Chuunin. He had sent the two Chuunin off to be interrogated by Ibiki and Anko, hoping that they could deal with them. When he had approached them just a few minutes ago, they had seemed too eager to deal with the two.

Sighing, he found himself at the door of the room that Naruto was currently placed in. Opening the door, he placed a calm smile on his face, just in case Naruto was awake.

He was. Naruto was currently crying into his pillow, bandages covering his body. Sarutobi quickly walked over to Naruto's bed and sat down on the chair beside it.

"Why are you crying, little one?" Sarutobi had gotten used to calling him that ever since he first heard Kushina use that title with him when he was just born.

Naruto looked up and the Sandaime, tears rolling down his face, some staying on the whiskers that he had on his cheeks. "Ojii-sama, am I a monster?" he asked between his sobs.

Sarutobi was shocked at the question. It was not one that he was expecting. He lifted up Naruto so he was able to sit on the bed and replied, "Of course not, Naruto. You are a dear child who has a very unfortunate life. You are a child who has done nothing wrong. And you are a child who has just turned six today."

Naruto nodded at his words and brought his hands to his eyes to wipe away the tears. He then started to take off the bandages, startling the Sandaime.

"Naruto, what are you doing?"

"I'm taking off the bandages. The doctor told me to take them off myself when I felt ready to move and then leave the hospital."

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed. "What doctor told you this?"

Naruto looked at the Sandaime, confused. "I don't remember. Why does it matter?"

Sarutobi sighed and started to check to see if Naruto was healed. Watching Naruto remove the bandages, he realized that Naruto had no scars, no cuts, nothing on his body that indicated a boy who was just attacked. 'It must be the Kyuubi helping him,' he thought.

"Ojii-sama," Naruto called.

"Is there something you need?" Sarutobi asked, looking down at the boy.

"May I spend the day in okaa-sama's room? Nobody ever goes in there and I would like to spend my birthday with her."

The Sandaime nodded and watched Naruto's eyes sparkle as he jumped off the bed and ran to a sealed room in the hospital that only allowed certain people inside. He sighed as he too got off the chair. Naruto loved the mother he never knew. Kushina had fallen into a coma the day of the sealing. The Sandaime didn't keep Kushina's identity a secret from Naruto. He felt that Naruto deserved to know part of the truth, regardless of how small that part was.

* * *

"Okaa-sama, how are you today?" Naruto asked his mother, who was currently in a comatose state, lying upon the white bedspread of the hospital bed. "Today's my sixth birthday, but it didn't start very well. I was attacked again, okaa-sama. Exactly at midnight. Why do they keep attacking me, okaa-sama? Why?" Tears started to flow from Naruto's eyes as he continued speaking. "What did I do to them? I'm just a child! Okaa-sama, I want you to come back! Please! I don't want to get hurt again!" 

Naruto leaned forward and fell upon the bed as he continued to cry. He didn't move from the spot from which he fell onto. He just tugged at the sheets underneath him and cried.

"Naruto-kun, dry your tears. It's not becoming for Kushina-sama's son to appear in such manner," a voice came from the door.

Lifting his head and drying his tears, Naruto looked at the source of the voice. His eyes quickly brightened when he jumped onto the figure that caught him in his arms. "Itachi-nii! How are you? Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be at the festival with the Uchihas?"

Uchiha Itachi placed Naruto onto the floor and smiled slightly. "To answer your first question, I am fine. As for the second and third, I heard that you were attacked again so I decided to come stay with you. My family believes that I was given an assignment."

Naruto thought for a moment before looking at Itachi. "But what about your brother? Wouldn't he miss you?"

"You still don't remember my brother's name?" Itachi questioned.

Naruto shrugged, walking back towards Kushina. "Okaa-sama once wrote in one of her journals that a person who can't understand reality isn't worth remembering."

"Sandaime-sama gave a five year old the journals of a seer?" Itachi responded, although internally he was questioning the Sandaime's sanity.

"Hai! He told me that it was written in his instructions that were given to him by my father," Naruto replied. He gazed at the empty vase that sat upon the table that was next to the bed. "Ne, Itachi-nii, can I get okaa-sama a flower to put in her vase?"

Itachi smiled and nodded. Despite what has happened to him, Naruto was still so innocent. He made note to go speak with the Sandaime later that day, though. Something was off with this day.

"So what flowers would you like to get Kushina-sama?"

"Um, sunflowers, maybe? This room is so dull. I want okaa-sama's room to be brighter!" Naruto replied with a smile.

"Very well, Naruto-kun, I'll go get your flowers. Stay here, okay?"

"Hai, Itachi-nii!" Naruto stated and smiled once more before going to lie on the bed. The moment his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep.

Itachi smiled briefly at the sight and swiftly left the room.

* * *

"Itachi! Are you off-duty already?" Uchiha Shisui called. 

Itachi turned around and looked at his cousin. "Is there something you need?"

"Your father has had me looking for you all over the village! He wants you to be at the Main House before sunset."

"That will be highly unlikely. I am very busy and I have my assignment to complete," Itachi replied, walking into the Yamanaka's Flower Shop.

"And this assignment involves flowers?" Shisui questioned suspiciously.

"It is a bodyguard mission. The person I am guarding wishes for flowers. Since he is unable to obtain them himself, I must get them for him." Itachi's answer was swift and showed no sign of a weakness. "Now if you would excuse me, Shisui."

The older Uchiha nodded as Itachi bought a dozen sunflowers and left the store. Nodding to himself, he quickly left to tell Fugaku-sama.

* * *

The village festivities were underway as Itachi walked through the crowd. He scowled, wanting to get to Hokage Tower as fast as possible. However, when he had returned to the hospital room, Naruto had made him promise that Itachi wouldn't use any of his shinobi skills today unless it was for protection. 

----

_Itachi looked upon the figure of the sleeping child lying next to his mother. Making his way across the room, his form was silent, as he did not want to awaken the slumbering figure. Placing the sunflowers in the vase, he took a step back and realized that the flowers did brighten the room. A small smile on his face, he turned to leave when a small hand reached up and grabbed his arm._

_Looking down, Itachi realized that Naruto was awake. His bright blue eyes looked at him and he spoke, "Itachi-nii is twelve years old, right?"_

_Itachi looked at Naruto, confusion written upon his face. However, he still answered. "Yes, I am. Why?"_

_"Well, ojii-sama told me that children graduate from the Academy when they were 12 and then they became genin. But Itachi-nii is twelve and he's an ANBU. Why?" Naruto's innocent gaze fell upon Itachi, waiting for the question to be answered._

_Itachi looked at Naruto, surprised. Sometimes he forgot his own age. Being in ANBU meant hiding your true identity behind a mask; one could be anyone they wished. "My father raised me to be a tool. I was a prodigy that was the pride and joy of the Uchiha clan. I am one of the few people who became a shinobi at a very young age, Hatake-san beating my record." _

_"Oh… Itachi-nii?" _

_"Hai?"_

_"Will you promise me something?"_

_"Okay, Naruto-kun. What is it that you want me to promise?"_

_"Don't use your shinobi skills today unless you need to protect someone!" the six year old responded with a smile on his face._

_----_

And so, because of a promise he made to a child that he thought of as a brother, Itachi wandered through the streets. The festival had already begun and Itachi had to make his way through the crowds that had formed. As he walked past the civilians, he inwardly cringed. He hated this day. Not for what happened back then, but for what is happening now. An innocent child who couldn't protect himself was always attacked.

Itachi had always admired Naruto's innocence. Ever since he started watching over him since he became a chuunin, he had never seen Naruto cry in front of anyone he didn't trust. All he had were smiles, regardless of what others said about him. Yet, this could change his entire identity. Naruto may have been six, but he has successfully constructed masks to hide his true self. So many personas in a person so young was dangerous, oh so dangerous.

"Is there something you need, Itachi?" the Sandaime asked from his desk.

Itachi looked up suddenly. He didn't realize that he had reached Hokage Tower already. "Gomen, Sandaime-sama, for showing up unexpectedly."

"It's fine, Itachi. Now what do you need?"

"It's about Naruto-kun, Sandaime-sama."

Sarutobi nodded, encouraging Itachi to go on.

"May I ask why you gave a five year old access to the journals of Kushina-sama? You know that her journals can cause a person to go into insanity," Itachi said, his voice cold.

The Sandaime sighed. "The reason why a person goes into insanity when they read them is because they are too set on their ideals. Naruto is but a child, he isn't influenced by ideals yet. And since he has the blood of a seer flowing through him, I believed that he would be capable of reading them. I didn't have a choice in the matter, anyway."

Itachi looked at the Sandaime. His face revealed no emotions, but his eyes showed confusion. "You didn't have a choice?"

"No. It was Minato's last wish. He gave me a scroll which told me exactly what I needed to do to raise Naruto properly. Each year, I had to give him something new on his birthday. When he was one, I introduced him to his mother. When he was two, I made you his bodyguard. When he was three, I taught him how to read. When he was four, you taught him about the history of the shinobi nations. When he was five, I had to give him the journals."

"And what do you have to give him today?"

The Sandaime looked directly at Itachi. "A letter from his father."

Saying Itachi was startled would be an understatement. Itachi's emotionless mask broke through, something that only happened around Naruto. But he was able to calm himself down and think properly. "It's the same as the journals, isn't it? His ideals have never been fully in place and because of those journals, he should be capable of knowing fact from fiction and accepting the reason as to why Minato-sama sealed Kyuubi-san in him."

The Sandaime nodded at Itachi's response before handing him an envelope. "That's the letter I'm supposed to give him. I have no time so I would be very grateful if you gave him this letter. I'll give you pay for an S-rank mission."

"S-rank? It can't be worth that much, can it?"

"I don't know what Minato wrote in there, but I do know that it shouldn't fall into the wrong hands. You can never know who could be a traitor, even in your own village. And I do believe that letter is of great importance since it has a blood seal on it."

Itachi nodded. "If that is what you wish, Sandaime-sama. Before I go though, I must speak with you about my clan."

"Is something wrong?" the Sandaime asked, dreading the paperwork that would come up if something was amiss.

Nodding, Itachi began his tale.

* * *

Naruto had fallen asleep and had woken up about five times that day. Getting off the bed, he went to stand on the chair so he could look out the window. The sun was beginning to set. Naruto smiled slightly and leaned forward slightly so he could continue watching. 

Naruto always found peace and calmness in the sunset. Dusk was the time of day that made him feel safe. He had always admired the night, despite the attacks that came with it. But he was never attacked during dusk so he was always safe during that time. He never understood why nobody ever attacked him during that time, but he was glad.

The minutes passed by quickly and Naruto found himself dozing off into a deep sleep. However, before his eyes closed, he fell off the chair and hit his head, fainting.

Blood red eyes opened as a figure appeared before his cage. **"So you finally appear, child of the seer."**

* * *

Kage: Well, I hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will be another six years into the future, so the meaning to the ending to this chapter will take a while to understand. Also, take note of Naruto's personality.

Anyway, I would like to introduce everyone to my new beta, Karone!

Karone-sakura: Hi everyone! This is Kage's new beta speaking! I suppose I'm one of the lucky betas because I don't need to do much work on Kage's story because it is already brilliant. I'm here mostly to keep Kage on track. Lol. I hope you all enjoy the chapter! I will leave a comment at the end of some chapters but not all of them. Make sure to leave a review for this brilliant story! Ciao for now.

Kage: Well you heard her! Now that you've read, please review!


	3. A Friend and a Distraction

Sorry that it's late, minna-san!

**Disclaimer:** My psychiatrist tells me I hallucinate a lot. I guess I was just hallucinating when I believed I owned Naruto.

* * *

"Naruto-kun," Hyuuga Hinata said softly, taking the seat next to him.

Naruto looked at her. Now twelve, he had become colder and darker than he was before. His only friend was Hinata as everyone else was too scared to talk to him. "Hai?"

"Your clothes are a mess," Hinata spoke, poking at the fabric of his shirt. When Hinata had first met Naruto on the first day of the Academy, she had been a shy girl wanting to live up to her father's expectations. But then she saw Naruto being treated terribly by the teachers and still smiled at her afterwards. That day she swore to be someone like that, someone who was able to smile after being hurt, someone who was confident.

"Really?" Naruto replied, looking at his clothes. It was true; they were a mess. His navy blue long-sleeved shirt was torn on the sleeves and the ends of the shirt were fringed. His black shorts were also full of holes and someone had stolen one of his sandals, leaving him wearing only one shoe. "It's something I'm used to. I'll go check otou-sama's house again to see if he has anything else that would fit me."

Hinata shook her head. "No you are not. I'm going to make you your outfit!"

"You can actually make clothes, Hinata-chan?" Naruto replied with a smirk.

Hinata's face darkened. "Otou-sama made me. He said that a lady should know how to clean, cook and sew. I think he's just preparing me to become a member of the Branch House. He plans to make Hanabi-chan the heiress."

Naruto looked at her, his eyes full of resentment towards the Hyuuga clan. Hinata was the only person in the Academy who was close enough to him to make him reveal his emotions.

Hinata looked at him, her eyes full of insanity. Naruto cringed, wondering what was going to happen next. "Of course, I'll have to take your measurements and such. I might poke you with a needle a couple of times, but that doesn't matter, right Naruto-kun?"

Naruto just glared at her and looked away, wondering what he did to deserve such torture from his best friend. He was about to fall asleep when he felt Hinata's stance go rigid. Looking up, he saw Uchiha Sasuke, Itachi's otouto and the "last Uchiha." Itachi had killed his clan three days after Naruto's seventh birthday. Naruto still remembered the night that Itachi had come to tell him that he had to leave Konoha.

_Naruto awakened with a fright. Something bad had just happened in the village, he could sense it. His mother's blood held strong in him, despite him not having the proper training to control it. Looking around, he noticed he wasn't in his room. No, he was in his mind._

_**Zurui, what troubles you so?**__" Kyuubi asked from inside his cage._

_Naruto looked at the Kyuubi, bowing before him. He had gotten used to the great beast calling him that name, and he didn't want to disrespect him. "Kyuubi-sama, my mother's blood is troubled. Something bad has happened in Konoha, but I don't know whether it is for better or for worse."_

_**Would you care about which it was? Or are you just scared that something has happened to your four precious people?**__" came the response._

_"I am scared, Kyuubi-sama. It is a feeling that I have never felt before, not even when I was beaten by the members of this village."_

_**So you are scared of the unknown,**__" Kyuubi replied. "__**It is a weakness, Zurui, one that you should not have. Remove it immediately. Now leave.**_

_**Of course, Kyuubi-sama.**__" Naruto then pushed himself out of his mind._

* * *

_Despite his talk with Kyuubi, Naruto was still troubled. Because of his lineage, he was meant to be a person who had no care for emotions, but he was still a child. A child who just wanted to feel loved. _

_Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Itachi. "Itachi-nii! What are you doing here?" It was then that he took in Itachi's appearance. He was tired and there was blood all over his clothing. "What did you do?"_

_"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I have to leave Konoha. I…I killed my clan. I only left my otouto alive."_

_"Why?" Naruto asked patiently, although inside he was feeling surprise, pain, and remorse._

_"That…That is something I was ordered not to tell you by your father. I can only tell you after your thirteenth birthday. I won't see you until then Naruto-kun, but remember your lineage. Remember who you are and never let anyone control you."_

_"Not even Kyuubi-sama?"_

_"Kyuubi-san is a special case. You'll understand when you're older. Now promise me that you will do as I've asked," Itachi spoke in desperation, knowing that he would be found if he stayed any longer._

_"I promise, Itachi-nii."_

_"Arigatou, Naruto-kun." Itachi quickly left the room, leaving no trace of himself behind. And Naruto fell to floor and began to cry._

"Hinata-chan, it'll be all right," Naruto whispered into her ear. Her father was trying to arrange a marriage between the Uchiha and Hinata. Hinata had yelled at him, refusing the marriage, saying she'd rather marry her cousin, Neji, than the Uchiha. However, Hiashi had ignored her and so she had to watch what she did around the Uchiha.

"Naruto-kun, will you promise me something?" she whispered back, her voice so low that Naruto could only hear it with the Kyuubi's help. He nodded and she whispered, "If I ever have to marry him, help me run away. If I don't run away in time, kill me."

Naruto nodded once again, his face blank, although his eyes betrayed his emotions once again. Hinata was the first person that didn't know his secret that became friends with him. And she had continued to stay his friend even after he had told her.

"It's highly unlikely that you would ever marry him, Hinata-chan. Your bloodline would mess up his, and the Sharingan might not be present in a child between the two of you. That is why the council didn't accept the proposal in the first place," Naruto reassured her, although he was mostly reassuring himself.

Hinata smiled at him and whispered, "Arigatou." It was then that Umino Iruka came into the room.

Iruka was their teacher at the Academy. He smiled at his students as he spoke, "Yesterday you took the graduation exam and became Genin. Today is the day you are sorted into teams and leave the Academy." As he started the placement of the students, Naruto began to ignore him until he heard his name. "Team Seven will be Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke. Your sensei is Hatake Kakashi."

Hinata saw Naruto's eyes go dark and cold and she felt his killing intent, which he had released accidentally. She nudged him, a knowing look in her eyes, and Naruto calmed down. "Team Eight will be Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, and Hyuuga Hinata. Your sensei is Yuhi Kurenai."

Naruto and Hinata continued to ignore Iruka until he said, "You are dismissed for lunch. Be back here in an hour to meet your sensei."

* * *

"Take this and go change," Hinata said, handing Naruto a scroll. The two were outside the bathrooms at the Academy.

"This is…?"

"Well I decided to make you a new outfit since you're now a Genin."

"And where is your new outfit?" Naruto asked.

Holding up another scroll, she spoke, "It's in here. I'll go change and if you're not done by the time I get back, I'll start using you as a model for _my_ clothes."

"Fine. But only because you're my best friend."

"It's nice to know I'm appreciated for something."

* * *

When Naruto came out from the bathroom, Hinata was standing in front of him. She was wearing a blue turtleneck with a pattern of white lilies on the side with a short navy -blue skirt. Underneath the skirt she wore a pair of black leggings that reached her ankles. She wore on her feet blue ninja sandals. Her hitai-ate was tied around her right arm.

Hinata smiled as she examined his outfit. "Perfect! Now don't ruin it! It took me weeks to find the perfect materials to make it!"

Naruto sighed. His outfit consisted of a red short sleeved shirt, a black armless trench coat that reached his knees and a pair of black pants. He wore black sandals on his feet. His hitai-ate hung loose around his neck.

"Fine, Hinata-chan."

"Now go act colder and meaner than the Uchiha to the Uchiha!"

"Sometimes I wonder what happened to the kind and sweet Hinata that befriended me six years ago," Naruto replied with a smirk, walking away from her.

"I am kind and sweet, to everyone except you, otou-sama and Uchiha-san!"

Naruto just laughed and Hinata smiled, knowing her job was complete for the day. Naruto wouldn't attempt to kill his team members yet.

* * *

Naruto glanced at the Uchiha. As he had told Itachi six years ago, he wasn't worth remembering since he couldn't face reality. Now Naruto would have been happy to do that for the rest of his life, but then Itachi had to kill his clan and leave him alive. And now Naruto was stuck on the same team as him. But he couldn't do anything about it. He had to show no emotions. He would never attempt to get closer to his teammates. He had to keep his mask in place. His emotions must stay hidden, must always stay under the mask, beyond his eyes, locked away in his mind. And so it shall stay except with those close to him.

Naruto then turned to look at Haruno Sakura. According to the data recorded by the Academy, she was supposed to be the smartest girl in the class. However, that data also said that Sasuke was the best person in the class. Naruto knew that Hinata could easily beat both Sasuke and Sakura at the same time, but had held back on her abilities. Naruto had been proclaimed the "dead last" but seeing that he never did anything in class and had barely passed; it led one to wonder how many other people were holding back.

Haruno was a fan girl who cared more about her hair than being a kunoichi. Most likely, the only reason she joined the Academy was to follow Sasuke. This thought, however, led Naruto to inwardly frown. She had acted like a kunoichi before the Uchiha Massacre, before Sasuke was seen as the "last Uchiha". Naruto shook his head; he would figure this out later.

Looking up, he saw the door open and there stood Hatake Kakashi. Kakashi, looking at his team, said, "You three look boring, Meet me on the roof in a minute." With that, he disappeared using the Shunshin. Naruto sighed, having seen both the Sandaime and Itachi use that jutsu numerous times. He followed his teammates out the door, heading towards the roof.

Naruto sighed, sitting as far as possible from his team, and then turned to look at Kakashi.

"Well, how about we introduce ourselves first. Tell us your name, your likes, your dislikes, your hobbies, and your dream," Kakashi said.

"Ano, sensei, shouldn't you go first?" Sakura asked and Naruto just wanted to throw a kunai at her. Making Kakashi go first would mean that nobody on the team had enough confidence in themselves to go first.

"Fine. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have some likes and a few dislikes. I have a lot of hobbies and a dream. Now you go, Pinkie."

Sakura scowled at her nickname. "My name is Haruno Sakura. I like…" She blushed and looked at Sasuke. "I dislike Ino-pig! My hobbies include singing. My dream is…." She blushed again and looked at Sasuke once more.

'A fan girl. Just my luck to end up with one,' Kakashi thought. "Next, the Brooder," he then spoke, looking at Sasuke.

Sasuke scowled as well. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There is little that I like. I dislike a lot of things. My hobby is training. My dream, no, my ambition, is to kill one man."

'An avenger. Great.' "Blondie, you're up."

Naruto quickly wondered about what to say and inwardly smirked, knowing what he was about to say would ruin Sasuke's day and make Kakashi wonder. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like my otou-sama, my okaa-sama, Hinata-chan, foxes, and weasels. I dislike snakes, fan girls, avengers, and most of the members of this village. My hobbies include training, visiting my father's grave and visiting my mother's body. My dream isn't for you to know."

Sasuke glared at him for the weasel comment, while Kakashi just looked at him. 'Well, he certainly is odd. Who are his parents? And how does he know Kyuubi and Itachi? And snakes…The fact that he hates most of the village is bad as well. And his dream, what could it be? I must speak to the Sandaime about him.'

"Well, tomorrow we'll be doing a survival test," Kakashi said.

"But we did those in the Academy!" Sakura yelled.

"This one is to determine whether you'll stay a genin."

"But we already passed the test!" came her response.

"This is the main test. It has a 66 failure rate," Kakashi said. This made Sasuke show a response and Sakura look scared. Naruto paid no heed to Kakashi, having read about the tests in his mother's journals.

"Well, meet me at Training Grounds 7 tomorrow at 5 AM. Don't eat or else you will throw up." With that, Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto shook his head. 'The Shunshin no Jutsu is so noticeable. Isn't there another way to get around?'

As he was about to leave, he heard Sasuke call out, "Wait!"

Turning around, he responded in a dark tone, "What?"

Paying no attention to the sound of his voice, Sasuke replied, "What did you mean by weasels?"

Naruto just walked away, saying, "I have no reason to tell you that."

* * *

Naruto sat by Kushina's bed, smiling a bit. "Okaa-sama, today Hinata-chan gave me a new outfit that she made herself. I love it. It made me really happy to know that she truly cared about me. I also found out whose team I would be on. I'm under Hatake Kakashi and my teammates are Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. Kakashi was otou-sama's student, right? I read about that in your journals. Anyway, okaa-sama, I have to maintain a mask around them. I don't want them to know who I am, how I feel and how I act. I don't trust them. The blood of a seer runs through me and it's telling me not to get close to them, that they will only bring me trouble. What should I do okaa-sama?"

Naruto kissed his mother's hand and got up, leaving the room. He didn't notice the hand that he had kissed had moved. And he paid no attention to the vase that sat upon the table by the bed, the vase that held dying sunflowers.

* * *

Kage: I'd like to thank Karone for putting up with my lateness! I hope you all find the symbolism in this chapter. Most of them are easy to spot. Oh, and as for why I skipped straight to the teams, Naruto is different! And I'm not following the canon storyline completely. The Forbidden Scroll incident will happen at a later date, if it follows my story.

Karone-sakura: Hey everyone! So sorry it's late. It's my fault. Well actually it was the both of us. Oops? Lol. She got it to me late and then it took me a while to actually edit it. Ah life does get in the way sometimes. Well I hope you all enjoy the chapter as much as I did!

Yuurei: I am Kage-sama's muse. I would like to ask you to review, please.


	4. The Meeting's Content

Gomen minna-san! I was late on my update again! Now I have a good reason for this. School is so hectic! And I was obsessed with Jade Valerie's new album, Bittersweet Symphony. I command you all to listen to it after you finish read this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** Itachi is dead and Sasuke has his eye abilities. Would I ever do that? No. Guess I don't own Naruto!

* * *

Flipping through the journals that laid in front of him, Naruto dipped his head into one of them, skimming through it, looking for a certain entry. His mother's journals held an endless amount of knowledge, but he never went to search for the knowledge before. As the first page of the first journal that he had read as a child had said, knowledge is power. Naruto never went looking for the knowledge, not wanting to live with the power that came with it. Whenever he needed to know something, his blood would bring him to the books. However, this time he was searching for knowledge, making it harder to reach his destination.

"Naruto-kun, if I may ask, what are you doing?"

Naruto looked up from his seat to see the Sandaime smiling softly behind him. Placing the journal he was holding back upon the desk, he turned the chair around and looked back up at the Sandaime. "I was looking for any information that may help me on Hatake-sensei's test tomorrow."

"Hatake-sensei? You do not wish to become close to him?"

Naruto looked at him, his eyes flashing black. The Sandaime nodded with understanding. "The Kagegan, I believe, as your mother called it. It's close to activation?"

"Hai, although I don't understand what's going to happen to me after the activation. These journals refuse to tell me anything. And they refuse to tell me about Hatake-sensei's idiotic test!"

The Sandaime looked at Naruto, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "With Kyuubi-san's training, I expected you to keep your emotions in check. Isn't that one of the requirements for the Kagegan?" Naruto nodded, his face once again rid of all emotions, his eyes hiding behind a black glass. "And Kakashi's test is fairly simple, although I believe that you would fail on purpose just to get away from your teammates."

"As much as I hate them, Sandaime-sama, I can't do that. I promised Itachi-nii that I would become a genin and I wouldn't give that up. Now, if you would leave me alone, Sandaime-sama? I wish to visit okaa-sama."

"If that is what you want me to do, little one," the Sandaime replied, reverting to the nickname that he had called Naruto as a child. He left the room quietly and Naruto smiled, grateful that there was someone in the village that would respect his wishes.

* * *

"Sandaime-sama, can I speak with you for a moment?" Kakashi asked, standing in front of the Sandaime's desk.

The Sandaime turned around in his chair and looked at Kakashi. "What can I do for you?"

"Who are the parents of Uzumaki Naruto?"

The Sandaime chuckled. "The heart of a legend and the blood of sight lie in him. That is all I can tell you without betraying his wishes of keeping his parentage a secret. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Kakashi inwardly sighed, not having received the answer that he wanted. Nodding to the Sandaime, he said, "Why does Naruto hate snakes?"

"A snake tried to harm his weasel. He cares deeply for his weasel and hates snakes for trying to harm him," the Sandaime answered with a secretive smile. No more was said and Kakashi was forced to leave.

* * *

"**Zurui, I don't hold the answer to your question. And even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you. You are too agitated**," Kyuubi's voice roared through his mind. Naruto was at Training Grounds Seven, after being forced to eat a breakfast that consisted of six pieces of toast, two omelets, and a glass of orange juice, courtesy of Hinata. She had somehow found out that he wasn't going to eat breakfast under Kakashi's orders, so she had appeared at his door before dawn, claiming that if he didn't eat his breakfast, he would retire as a shinobi and become a model for her clothes.

'Gomen, Kyuubi-sama. But something about this test feels off,' Naruto's calculated reply came, not releasing one emotion into his thoughts.

"**Zurui, your entire team feels off. But there is nothing that you can do about it. If you keep acting this way, you will not activate the Kagegan, which means that your mother will stay in that comatose state for the rest of her life until her body gives up**."

'I understand that, Kyuubi-sama. But until this day is over, this feeling won't leave me.'

"**If that is what you believe, then believe that. But despite your blood, you have the power to control your feelings, to not let your feelings control your actions. I won't contact you again unless you are capable of doing that**," Kyuubi's final response came before the link between Naruto and Kyuubi snapped, disappearing into the seal.

Naruto reached into the inside of his trench coat, opening a pocket and retrieving one of his mother's journals. Despite the fact that they wouldn't tell him the information he needed, they would still tell him about the things that he needed to know. Opening the small black book to a random page, he started reading about one of the things he was looking for all along - the Kagegan. Without lifting his head out of the journal, fearing that the words would disappear the minute that he looked away, he walked towards the nearest tree, jumped up, and settled on a branch, waiting for his team to arrive.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura had been waiting for three hours and Kakashi was nowhere in sight. To them, Naruto was missing, as well, and they hadn't bothered to look for either of them.

"Sasuke-kun, you're so awesome!" Sakura exclaimed, hoping to start a conversation with Sasuke. However, she was ignored, as Sasuke seemed to believe that talking to one of his fan girls was more dangerous than going up against Itachi.

The duo waited in silence for another hour. Sakura was about to speak again when a puff of smoke appeared in front of them.

Standing in the smoke was Kakashi. "Yo!"

"YOU'RE LATE!" came Sakura's scream.

Ignoring his pink-haired student, Kakashi looked around and asked, "Where's Naruto?"

"I'm right here, Hatake-sensei," Naruto replied jumping down from the tree branch he was sitting on. He was still reading from the journal, his eyes never wandering from the page.

"Well, seeing that everyone is here, we can start the exam!" Kakashi replied, pulling two silver bells out from his pocket. "The goal of this exam is to get a bell from me. Those who don't get a bell will be sent back to the Academy."

At those words, Naruto began walking away. "Where are you going, Naruto-baka!?" Sakura screamed after him.

"Haruno-san, it would be easier to walk away than to fail poorly. Those who do not understand that some things cannot be accomplished are pathetic idiots who cannot face the true reality. The only way to obtain those bells from Hatake-sensei would be to directly engage him in combat and none of us would be able to harm a jounin. We are just genin," Naruto stated as he continued to read. "As this book states, the purpose of this test would be to test our teamwork, and since I don't enjoy working with others except for those that I trust with my life, we would fail this test anyway, right Hatake-sensei?"

Kakashi looked at the boy, astonished. "And how do you know this?"

Naruto shrugged. "I spend a lot of time with Sandaime-sama. He tends to tell me stories about the days he had a genin team and this was the same test he used on them. Please be more creative, Hatake-sensei, and don't use the tests of others. One day you will be discovered by a student who already took the test."

Sasuke looked at Naruto, wondering how the dobe of the class could know so much in such a little amount of time. Before he could say anything, Sakura walked up to Naruto and attempted to hit him. He caught her hand and pushed her to the ground. "Why did you just attempt to hit me?"

"You were acting cool! Only Sasuke-kun is allowed to act cool!" she yelled.

"Doushite? Because he's the last Uchiha? He's not the last Uchiha, anyway, because Itachi-san is still alive. And he's been pampered all his life, he deserves to be outclassed once in a while," Naruto replied, closing the book and slipping it back into his pocket. Turning to Kakashi, he then said, "Hatake-sensei, may I know what we shall be doing now? If you have another test, please give it to us. If you don't, it would be best to fail us."

"Well Naruto, I think I'll be passing Team Seven. Your team intrigues me. However, Naruto, would you come with me to see the Hokage?" Kakashi asked.

"If that is your wish, Hatake-sensei."

"Very well. We'll be meeting tomorrow here at 4 A.M. to start your training. Team Seven is dismissed!" Kakashi then started walking towards Hokage Tower, Naruto following not far behind.

* * *

"Hokage-sama," Kakashi said as he stood in front of the Sandaime.

"Kakashi, you're not back to bother me again, are you?" the Sandaime asked, not noticing Naruto.

"Actually, a little fox told me that you were telling him about the bell test, ruining my chances of not having a team this year."

"Hatake-sensei, you could have just failed us. That would have been easier," Naruto replied. The Sandaime looked up at him, a grandfatherly smile gracing his lips. "Naruto-kun, were you dragged here by Kakashi?"

"Iie. Hatake-sensei requested my presence and my blood decided that I should come. And so I came."

"Naruto-kun, would you mind waiting outside for a few minutes? I have to discuss something with Kakashi."

"Of course not, Sandaime-sama. I will be with my mother when you wish to see me again."

The Sandaime nodded and Naruto disappeared, jumping out the window.

Turning back to Kakashi, the Sandaime's smile left his face. "What is it that you really want? Why did you pass them if Naruto revealed the test?"

"Naruto intrigues me. Despite the fact that he is the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, he seemed calm and collected, although a bit emotionless. Overall, he is the perfect shinobi," Kakashi said.

The Sandaime sighed once more. "Naruto isn't training to be the perfect shinobi. If he had to, he would betray Konoha. He only listens to the words of his blood, his mother's journals, and the Kyuubi."

At this, Kakashi's eyes widened. "What do you mean by the Kyuubi? Is he controlling him?"

"According to what I found out from his mother, the Kyuubi was an honored being in her family. For her son to have him sealed in him was a great honor. The Kyuubi, however, does not control Naruto. The Kyuubi would be more of a mentor to him, though I fear later in life it would grow to more. Nevertheless, Kakashi, you will not speak a word of this to anyone or you will be killed under my orders. Is that understood?"

Kakashi nodded, afraid to speak. The killer intent the normally kind Sandaime was emitting was powerful and he knew at that moment that Naruto meant a lot to the Sandaime. Harm him and he'd die. Put him in danger and he'd die. Not that that mattered, anyway. Kakashi didn't want to kill off his student. What he wanted was to test his capabilities and help him become great, traitor or not.

Just as he was about to leave, the Sandaime said, "I know the counsel ordered you to train Sasuke. What will you do?"

"I'll train him, if he understands that he must train without using his Sharingan. Itachi was a prodigy, not only for activating his Sharingan at such a young age, but being able to master jutsus without the help of the Sharingan. If he wants to defeat Itachi, then he must understand that he must gain power the same way that Itachi did." With that, Kakashi used the Shunshin to escape, fearing that the Sandaime would question him more.

The Sandaime just laughed at the fear he instilled on one of his most powerful jounin.

* * *

"Okaa-sama, please guide my actions. Your blood is my blood, your journals my tools. I will forever remain in your debt, no matter what happens, and my promise to you will forever stay true - I will awaken you from this coma."

"_Little one, do not fret_," a soft voice said, its voice filling the room.

Recognizing the term of affection, Naruto hesitantly called out, "Okaa-sama?"

"_Hai, my child. Kyuubi-sama is allowing me to have some time to speak with you_."

"Kyuubi-sama? Is he the reason why you are in this coma?"

"_Hai. But do not worry about me. When your Kagegan awakens, I will awaken. And always trust Kyuubi-sama. He is more to you than he seems_," she said and Naruto felt his blood respond to her words, agreeing with them.

"More, okaa-sama?"

"_Hai. And please stop referring to me as a lady, little one. I am your mother first, a lady second. Okaa-san is more than enough_."

"Kyuubi-sama raised me to speak like that, with Itachi-nii's influence, of course."

"_Uchiha Itachi-kun?"_

"Hai, okaa-sama."

"_Where is he? I would like to speak with him_."

"Okaa-sama, you do not know what happened to him?"

"_I only know what Kyuubi-sama deems important enough for me to know. I only knew that you were watched by Itachi-kun_."

"Itachi-nii killed his clan, leaving only his younger brother, Sasuke, alive."

"_Really? Did he tell you why?"_

"Iie, okaa-sama."

"_Well then, little one, Kyuubi-sama's power is disappearing. Awaken your Kagegan soon and I'll awaken as well. Ja ne, my child_."

Naruto felt a presence leave the room and smiled. Looking around the room, he noticed the vase, which had once held wilting sunflowers, now held a dozen yellow tulips. Tied to the stem of one of the tulips was a small scroll. Walking towards the vase, Naruto leaned forward and gently removed the scroll. Smiling once more at his mother's body, Naruto left the hospital room quietly.

* * *

Naruto slipped into his apartment quietly. Nobody knew that he lived here and he would prefer to keep it that way. Once he reached his bedroom, he walked in and sat on his bed. His bedroom had no windows, which made it easier for him to hide. It was a gift from Itachi on his seventh birthday, and at that time, he was extremely happy to have the apartment, despite the fact that his bedroom had no window. Now, on the other hand, he appreciated that small detail.

Placing the scroll on the bed, he checked to make sure that there was nothing wrong with it that could harm him in any way. He found nothing and opened the scroll, finding a note written inside:

_Naruto-kun,_

_Today should be the day that you are tested by your jounin sensei, if it isn't base the time around which you found this scroll to the time I state I will return. I will be coming to see you two days after your test. I will be waiting in your mother's room. Do not inform Sandaime-sama of my coming. I will be waiting in Kushina-sama's room all day, until dusk. When dusk comes, I will leave. I will be there at dawn, though, so it is your choice as to when you wish to see me. As for the reason to why I'm coming now, not when you are thirteen shall be explained to you later._

_Itachi_

Naruto reread the note a few times, knowing that something was wrong. Something was dreadfully wrong.

* * *

Kage: Hoped you liked this chapter! The next chapter will be fun, very fun! Muahahaha!

Also, I have decided to do a rant because I hate the way some of the manags that I am reading are going. Beware of spoilers:

How could Itachi die! And Sasuke, why does Sasuke have his eyes techniques! And what's the point of perfecting the X-Burner if you're going to end up killing Tsuna, Spanner! You make no sense! And Kohane, why is your mother so important to you that you would want to make her happy? She uses you, uses you! And what's this with that time freeze and people melting everytime you change something! And now you're her ancestor, Kaname! First her saviour, then her brother, now her ancestor!? What is going on in that manga!

And for anyone who understood that, I'm sorry you had to read it.

Karone-sakura: Hey ya'll! I would first like to apologize with Kage. It is as much my fault as it is hers. Things have been crazy for us both and that's my only excuse. Lol. See I could have pushed her harder into updating sooner but it just wasn't working out for the last two weeks. Any ways I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter as much as I did. As a personal question that will not affect the story but more my own curiosity. Which pairing could you see the story leading into? It could be Naruto/female or Naruto/male. It has to fit into the story. Leave it in a review because I do take a peek at them after each update. See ya all at the next update! Ciao for now.

Now that you have read, please review!


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